The present invention relates to score display apparatus for use in pinball game machines and a display method therefor, more particularly to such score display apparatus and a display method in which a CRT visual display unit is provided in a part of a pinball game machine to indicate several scores of players in digital display.
Various types of pinball game machines with a micro-computer built in for controlling automatically the actions of many movable components, associated circuits and elements and performing the scoring operation for the player who is up, are already known. One of them, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Appln. Disclosure No. 52-64325 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 633,470, filed November, 1975), is provided with four score indicators so as to enable four players to compete with each other and to indicate simultaneously four player-related scores. Such indications are respectively comprised of six transversely aligned digit elements to display to six figures of a number, each of which elements is completed segmentally by seven light-emitting diodes. Other pinball game machines on the market are provided with six score indications so as to enable six players to compete with each other in games.
Generally, the score indicator utilizing a plurality of seven-segment digit elements is at a disadvantage from the viewpoint of manufacture and cost thereof, because it requires the same number of indicators as the number of players that can play at one time.
Thus, when the score display apparatus indicates six player-related scores to be numbers of six figures, then six score indicators, thirty six latch means and thirty six recorders will be basically required. Although a dynamic driving system will be utilized, fourty five signal lines will be further required to drive these indicators. This results in making the wiring operation very troublesome. Furthermore, it is difficult to reorganize the score display apparatus in such a case as it is desirable to increase the number of players that can play at one time. Furthermore, the score display apparatus using such indicators cannot be adapted to provide information relative to games without score information. Therefore, the conventional score display apparatus has not found wide application.